Survivors are sought on the Potomac River but the authorities believe that the deceased can reach half a hundred
A commercial plane with capacity for more than 60 passengers has collided in the air with a Black Hawk military helicopter while approaching the track of the Washington National Airport and fell to the Potomac River, not far from the White House.
There are deceased, although the authorities have not yet said how many. Due to the size of the explosion, it is not believed that there are survivors.
The accident occurred at 20:53 local time, 02:53 on Thursday in peninsular Spain, according to the Metropolitan Police of the Columbia district. Emergency teams have deployed rescue boats in the area and the airport has suspended takeoffs and landings.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has indicated that the wrecked plane, a PSA Airlines CRJ700 Bombardier, had taken off from Wichita, Kansas. The helicopter belonged to the armed forces, already scarce kilometers is the pentagon.
Entrance at night, rescue units have been seen in the river, with multiple vessels and helicopters flying over the accident area. Several videos shared in social networks show the moment of clash in the air, with a strong explosion.
The National Airport, known as Reagan or its DCA code, only operates national flights and is located in Virginia. The wrecked plane made an American Airlines route.
The White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, has confirmed that President Donald Trump has been informed about the accident. «There are many agencies working on the response at this time, both at the federal and local level, and the forces of the order are coordinating efforts on the ground to save as many lives as possible. The president will follow the situation, ”said Leavitt.
On his return to the White House, Donald Trump dismissed the head of the Transportation Security Administration, David Pekoske, before he finished his mandate, despite being originally appointed by himself and then ratified by Joe Biden.
In addition, Trump dismissed all members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a group created after the Lockerbie attack in 1988 to evaluate risks in airports and airlines. This decision generated criticism, since the committee included representatives of airlines, unions and victims of aerial terrorism.
The Trump government justified these changes as part of its strategy to prioritize national security and eliminate the waste of resources in the Department of National Security, although it did not explain how the functions of the committee would be replaced.
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